St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-04-17
THE GEM OF A PALACE.
A Millionaire's Silver Quarter in .
Thousand-Dollar Case.
How 1t Was Lost and Found In the
West.

tracts general attention because 1t is more
imposing than those that surround it. 1t
is owned by millionaire from the Pacific
slope, who, after amasSing a fortune, came
to this city to enjoy the luxury which
great wealth put at his disposal. The
house is furnished with all the costly ele-
gance which good taste and an unlimited
which are filled with rare objects
of art from all parts of the world,
the rich man has his study. The most
noticeable thing in the room is a small
table, which stands next a big rosewood
desk. There is nothing on the table save
an eXQuiSitely carved gold case with a glass
lid. Inside the case. resting on soft velvet
lies common everyday quarter of a dol
lar. A few days ago. while Mail and EX-
press reporter was interviewing the Cali
fOrnia millionaire on question OF Western
politics, he found it impossible to keep his
eyes from wandering to the 81, 900 case and
its twentY-fiye-cent piece. The millionaire,
seeing the reporters evident curiosity, said:
"YOu are surprised, no doubt. to see that
twenty ive-cent piece i'll such gorgeous
case, but that coin has history. There was
a time when it was the only piece OF money
l had in the world. / look on it as kind of
mascot, and nothing would ever induce me
L
possession since l first had it. and each time
some misfortune has happened to me- 1
will tell you the story of my quarter if you
wont use my name in repeating it.''
The millionaire took the piece of money
from its satin-lined resting place. and, hand
ing it to the reporter, continued:
You see that this coin is marked in such
a way that there is no miStaking it. (The
letters G. W., with star before and after
them, were deeply engraved in the center
of the piece of money! 1t was first given
to me in San Francisco in saloon. | gave
the barkeeper a SIS gold piece and among
the change l noticed this marked coin. l
picked it out, and, putting it in another
pocket, remarked to my friends that |
would keep it as pocket-piece | was as
poor as poverty in those days. but,
like every one else l played faro
every time l had money enough to
buy stack of chips. That night
[ got round to Jim Moons game,
| and. as usual. before l quit was cleaned
out and had not dollar left in the world.
| The next morning when | went to work I
was told that the man who employed me
had decided to move to Sacramento and my
valuable services were no longer needed.
had had no breakfast, and began feeling in
| my empty pockets for some stray coin to
! get cup of coffee. To my intense sur
| prise | found that quarter. / then sat
down and argued with myself whether I
should spend my last cent to get something
to eat or if l should go back to the faro
bank, where had lost my money the night
| before and make final effort to pull out
| square.
A FORTUNE FOR 25 CENTS.
1.-THE gambling passion was strong in me
forty years ago, and l decided to take
the chances and bet my last quarter. Back
to the gambling-hell hurried The game
had just opened, and the first turn Of the
cards was just being made. Dollar chips
were the smallest ones in use then. SO I
threw down my quarter between the six,
seven and eight, and then went over to the
sideboard and poured myself out glass of
whisky, determined to have drink for nv
money anyway. When l went back to the
table I found two chips in the place of my
twenty-five cents. [ reached over to pick
them up, but before 1 could do so the
dealer turned the cards and again
1 won. [ played without thought
of my empty stomach for three
hours, and quit with $500. Before leaving
paid the dealer 81 for my marked quar-
ter. Then L went out and had break
fast fit for the gods. Every day for two
weeks l gambled, and every day 1 won. l
kept that coin always with me, and soon
had over $4,000 i'll canvas bag. One
night as was leaving the game met an
old woman who begged from me money
enough to get something to eat.
l Ii, L. as usual. been winning, and was
flushed with success. To refuse woman
money for food when luck was all running
my way seemed heartless, so L reached
down in my pocket and gave her the
first coin I met. When L reached home
l searched everywhere for my luck
piece, but it was gone. had given
it to the beggar woman. The next day l
lost heavily and determined to play no
more until L found my quarter. 1t seemed
hopeless task to find one particular piece
of money. but l never gave up hope and
always looked carefully at every piece of
money l received in change. Atlast was
successful. In the same bar-room where |
got my quarter l received it again. was
so elated that treated the house to cham
payne. That night. for the last time liz
my life, l gambled at cards and won
So 600. l went to Nevada soon after and
began to speculate in mines. and in the
course OF time | made what people call a
bonanza fortune. 49,,
A FATAL STROKE OF LUCK.
1.-The only Their time that quarter ever
left me [ est the best friend ever had.
He was school-mate of mile in the little
| village in New Hampshire where we were
both born; we sat at the same desk, and
were often whipped with the same rod.
He, too. got the gold fever, and getting to-
gether what money he could he started for
the far West. Poor fellow, he never had
any luck. every thing he touched failed,
and when | met him in Virginia City two
years after his arrival on the Pacific slope
he was in as hard luck as any man ever
saw. 1 put him in the way
! of making some money. but every thing
he got he lost at faro. One
day he heard me tell the story of my quar-
| ter, and asked me to loan it to him to see
if it would change his luck; he promised
not to part with the coin, so granted his
request He went to the game and put a
SIS piece with my quarter on it in the pot.
that is, between the acre, deuce, king and
queen. He then folded his arms and rested
his head on them. Turn after turn was
made, yet he never once looked up. As
card after card was turned murmurs OF
surprise passed around the table. The men
| on each side of nv friend nudged him